Finance Business Partner Manager at Cell C

Purpose of the Job:

• The Finance Business Partner Manager acts as a strategic advisor to business units within the Cell C.
• Leading the finance business partner team in providing financial insight, analysis, and decision support to drive profitability, efficiency, and growth.
• This role bridges the gap between finance, line of business and other functions, ensuring that financial considerations are embedded into business strategy, planning, and execution.

Main Responsibilities:
Strategic Business Partnering and Budgeting

• Lead Cell C budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning processes
• Be the contact point for the department for all escalations
• Ensure that all budgets are consolidated and discussed with line of business or functions
• Translate business goals into financial plans and KPIs, ensuring alignment with corporate strategy
• Provide proactive, data-driven insights to support investment decisions, pricing strategies, and cost optimization
• Lead in the review of outputs and refine costing allocations (across various LOBs using Standard based costing) where necessary
• Ensure that the company’s budget is in line with the approved business plan (Income statement, Cash Flow, Balance Sheet and CAPEX)
• Review the completed budget utilization and provide the necessary analysis for reporting and disclosure
• Review of forecasts based upon historical performance and activity KPI
• Assist and supervise the uploading of budget into the system and updating the system after each reforecast
• Verify that Revenue, OPEX and CAPEX targets are met
• Ensure that the correct procedures and controls are followed in the company
• Ensure expense accruals are correct and accurate
• Ensure financial information, is accurate and reliable and provided within the agreed timeframe to management and/or departmental heads, including monthly variance reports
• Conduct customer / segment profitability, margin, and ROI analysis on products and services at a LOB level
• Use BI tools (e.g., Power BI, SAP Analytics Cloud) to deliver visual, actionable insights

Analysis Function

• Ensure ongoing analysis to efficiency to enable the business unit to make sound management decisions
• Review input into the development of performance measures and KPIs at various levels of the business
• Review the development and provision of financial data to business cases developed within units
• Ensure ongoing support and direction on commercial, business and risk issues identified and render guidance into solutions
• Drive compliance towards CAPEX governance processes
• Review and approve insight and recommendations into improving revenue performance across segments
• Supervise effective cost efficiency plans to reduce cost drivers
• Provide early warnings to management as soon as material deviations are detected, identify for the attention of the business and relevant interventions
• Support in the review and approval of business management cases

Finance Operations, and Office Management

• Review and approve monthly journals processed for accruals raised by business partners
• Analyse and approve monthly accruals and ensure that these accruals are in line with the approved budget
• Analyse the monthly cost incurred compared to budget and the prior year and Identify trends and opportunities for cost saving
• Prepare the analysis and report for the budget and forecast process
• Provide input and review the budget before submission
• Support internal and external audit as required

Process Creation / Maintenance

• Create official processes / procedures and policies for the tasks under responsibility for implementation and maintenance
• Assess yearly the adequacy of the written procedures/instructions with the need of the activity and eventually promote the updates on the system and enhanced automation of processes
• Promote the reallocation of work and the improvement of accounting methodologies
• Maintain robust governance and internal control environment
• Work with the finance business partners to identify financial risks and opportunities and recommend appropriate actions

Reporting

• Support recommendations analysis to the function to reduce business risk
• Challenge operational teams to optimize cost-to-serve and improve EBITDA performance
• Identify opportunities for automation or process reengineering
• Develop and present dashboards and financial reports to senior leadership
• Monitor financial performance against budget/forecast and provide variance analysis
• Implement, Update and maintain KPI dashboards and management reports
• Review and submit reports for Senior Manager addressing periodic activity, budget compliance, feedback and key departmental results to facilitate decision making
• Prepare reports on operational performance and detailed reports on specific projects when required

Staff Management

• Manage and develop a team of finance business partners
• Build trusted relationships with internal stakeholders, balancing challenge and support
• Act as the finance representative in cross-functional areas including strategic projects
• Assign and direct work, oversee team developments, identify training needs and maintain staff competence
• Establish with Senior Manager the Key Performance Indicators and evaluate them
• Uphold HR policies and procedures including Labour Relations and all other corporate policies
• Ensure Cell C values are adhered to
• Conduct performance appraisals

Perform any other related duties as requested by Management

• Lead in Ad hoc Projects as advised by CFO and Executives
• Support strategic projects including mergers, partnerships, and outsourcing initiatives
• Ensure meaningful commentary accompanies all reports, explaining financial drivers

Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field
• Honours Degree
• CIMA, CA(SA), ACCA, or equivalent professional qualification is an advantage

Experience

• 9 - 10 years of experience in finance, with at least 3 years in a business partnering role
• Experience in the telecommunications, technology, or digital services sectors is an advantage
• Familiarity with IFRS, financial systems (SAP, Oracle, ThinkCell), and data tools (Excel, Power BI, SQL)
• At least 3 years management experience